Undercoating / Rust Protection?

gmyeah · June 4, 2011

Not sure if this is the right location to post this on the site...but I hope it is. My wife is planning to buy an Equinox and one of the "tough sells" they give you when you get close to a deal is the "Super Rust Protection" and the "Undercoating". Their take is that GM doesn't apply much of any protection like they use to back in the day because they really loose money on it since not all vehicles need in tt in the country. Not really sure if this is a load or not.....but I'm curious. This offering is from Ziebart which is well known in my neck of the woods. Just curious if it's worth doing it or not? The Undercoating is coating that is fairly thick and protects the undercarriage of your vehicle. The Rust Protection is a sealant that is applied from your windows down. Aside from cost.....do these products have any merit? I have no protection on my 2008 Sierra and it does show a hair of surface rust underneath. I found a little info on the product (see below), but not what it's really made of. Curious what folks do with their trucks /Suvs on this site. Thanks.

Undercoating: Heavy abrasion resistant sealant is guaranteed to protect vehicle’s undercarriage against moisture, chemicals and salt that cause rust. Undercoating service provides corrosion control technology that is applied to all visible underside areas.

Rust Protection: Certified technicians apply the sealant to the under body of the vehicle to completely cover all structural metal. The sealant blocks out air, moisture, and salt to prevent the creation of rust as well as protecting metal from any road abrasions.

Georgebaumann · June 4, 2011

my dads been coating his 02 jeep and 94 chevy silvy with wd40 since they were brand new and it still looks like the day he bought them. he buys the industrial cans of wd40 and uses a pump sprayer and coats them every month.

desrtrat · June 4, 2011

big question i have is where do you live.

gmyeah · June 4, 2011

big question i have is where do you live.

northeast......buffalo/rochester/syracuse area. Should have mentioned it before. Actually, i never would consider it unless i was in an area that gets shelled with bad weather. as far as the wd40 in the other response. i'm pretty particular with my vehicles since i work them so much, but i can't imagine hitting it with wd40 every month. little pricey for one as well as spraying in every month.....maybe i'd wash my vehicle a bit more and get the same result.

Fobroader · June 4, 2011

If you work on your own vehicles makes all the bolts on the bottom a pain in the ass to remove as it coats them. Since you live out in the east though, get it, for the love of god and all thats good, get rust protection, undercoating and diamond kote. Also washing your vehicles a minimum of once a week during the winter is not a bad idea.

markw8 · June 4, 2011

With where you live, I would do it. My current truck is the first one I've owned not to get rustproofed. It being a 3500 2wd dually, it has only been in the snow once.

Mark

redvett · June 4, 2011

Read your Owners Manual carefully on rust protection and warranty. GM does not advise undercoating as it retains moisture and salt that cannot be readily washed away.

desrtrat · June 5, 2011

years ago when i was living on Long Island we used a paint called X-O Rust on our plow trucks. it's not cheap paint, but designed for steel ships. the paint lasted over 7 years before needing a little touch up.. just something to consider..

good luck

cracked_up · June 5, 2011

I'm in PA and I never get anything rustproofed or undercoated. There is plenty of salt use here. I keep my vehicles in the garage, put low miles on so that helps. The last truck was 9 years old, 60k miles and no body rust.

It's something to consider, but how much do you drive the vehicle, how well do you take care of it, as well as how long do you plan to keep it.

markw8 · June 5, 2011

Read your Owners Manual carefully on rust protection and warranty. GM does not advise undercoating as it retains moisture and salt that cannot be readily washed away.

And there are a lot of junk 10-11 year old trucks out there that weren't treated.

Mark

gmyeah · June 6, 2011

Read your Owners Manual carefully on rust protection and warranty. GM does not advise undercoating as it retains moisture and salt that cannot be readily washed away.

And there are a lot of junk 10-11 year old trucks out there that weren't treated.

Mark

Generally....the trucks/cars we buy are with the assumption of 10 years of ownership. I should have put in more details in my first post. My opinon is I wouldnt even consider it if I was the average vehicle owner that only kept it for 3-5 yrs....and lived in a warm climate. I'm just the opposite, so the info on this site is good to hear. Thanks. Apparently the rustprooofing they use to put on at the factory has been reduced or eliminated after 2003...need to confirm that though. Either way, I don't think I've ever seen a 8-10 year old vehicle without rust underneath (with or without) the treatment. Of course its hard to compare apples to apples since the treatments and materials have changed as well. Just hoping the treatment preserves it a bit more. Thanks again.

GMstrong · June 6, 2011

Dont spray the rust protection on already rusted items like brake line or fuel lines,If you do that the chemicals in the rust protection will eat threw the lines no problem.been there done it.

Shredzy · November 26, 2011

Rustproofing & Undercoating, a good question to get it or not.

I live in Wisconsin, and the road crews love to use road salt during the winter months and now they are also using a liquid de-icer which I feel only adds to the corrosion problems.

With cold temperatures it isn't always practical to run a vehicle through an automatic car wash with the undercarriage spray, but I try to do it when possible.

Rustproofing may be a good idea, not so sure on the undercoating.

Reason I say this is I had my truck, an '06, rustproofed & undercoated when new, but after 5+ years (and only 13k miles) there is noticeable flaking of the undercoating and signs of corrosion on the frame & brackets.

Not sure if the wax coating that GM puts on the frame is good or bad, and if because of that coating, the rustproofing isn't as effective and doesn't adhere well?

Another thought is if one does have a vehicle rustproofed and/or undercoated, maybe have a shop such as Ziebart do it and take it in for yearly inspections & touch-ups.

cracked_up · November 26, 2011

Just remember, the more they spray and the heavier, the more likely to plug drain holes and hold the water in on body panels. It's probably a catch 22 depending on your situation.

67Olds442 · November 27, 2011

I have 2010 (Silverado, LS 4x4), live in the Buffalo, NY area and I use "Rustop", I have it applied in every July.

The material is thin like an oil, coated and stucks well to the underside (not a waxy material and it kept "leaking" from seam and door panel weeps all summer. It's recommended as a yearly application.

That's my 2 cents.